The Truth About Overpopulation

[AdamAnderson21]

Hate to sound like a broken record, but I'm just going to repeat the law again and let you go back on your own and, once again, to see where you have completely misunderstood the law and my post. At first I gave you the benefit of the doubt thinking that this misunderstanding occured unconsciously, but it is now apparent that after a second time of completely misunderstanding my post and the law, it's the result of a conscious decision to misunderstand it. Probably because you cannot think of a way to legitamentally respond to what I'm really saying. So here you go again:

"An increase in food supply always results in an increase in a species' population. There are no exceptions."

If you look through your post, you'll see that everything you said is not a response to this statement. It is as if you are having an imaginary conversation with an indiot who dosen't know the first thing about nature. You're making up stupid statements for your imaginary friend, and then responding to them. So let's just agree to disagree. Even though it's now apparent the only person you are disagreeing with, at least through your posts, is your imaginary idiot friend.

 

[AdamAnderson21]

The Parable of The Dancers

Long ago in a distant land there lived many different tribes of people. Let's call them the tribes of Alf, Bet, and Tav. They were all people who acquired their food by hunting and gathering. One day they discovered that by dancing for a short period, they could increase the amounts of their favorite foods. All the had to do was dance 1 hour a day, and their favorite trees would produce more of their favorite food. They soon discovered that the more they danced, they more of their favorite food was produced.

The Alf's were quite indifferent to whether they ate their very food or foods of lesser quality and only danced for one hour a day. The people of Bet found strawberries to be quite tasty and delighted in dancing for three hours a day to encourage their growth. But the Tavs absolutely loved their favorite foods, and prefered to eat nothing else. They spent eight hours a day dancing, and soon they had more fruit then they knew what to do with. So they appointed one of their tribal leaders to be in charge of the food. Instead of dancing he would oversee the storage of the food.

On day the Tav people grew tired of dancing. They realized that before they started dancing they only had to work one hour a day to get there food. And that work was by no means stressfull, it was actually quite fun. But dancing for eight hours a day started to make them miserable, for it was the most labourios work ever invented. So they turned to their leader and told him they didn't want to dance any longer.

Their leader however, did not like this change in sentiment. For he had grew quite fond of the power his new position allocated to him. So he met with his trusted friend to discuss what could be done to keep the people dancing. So they sat down and discussed the issue for hours. Finally they came up with a plan.

They decided that if they could lock up the food, they could force the people to dance in order to get food. They would hire two guards and pay them with food as well. The longer you danced, the more food you got.

The people very unhappy, but there was nothing they could do, they had to eat. So they started dancing. This gave the leader more power then he could ever have imagined. But there were only so many trees in his territory. If he wanted more power, he would have to expand. So he went to the Alf's leader and gave him an ultimatim. He told them that they were not using their land efficently, and that they had to dance 8 hours a day for him. The Alf's were only wanted to dance 1 hour a day and initially refused. But the Tav's had so much food that they were able to provide for a much larger army. This new system also allowed them to mass produce objects, so they were able to create more of the best weapons as well. Seeing no other alternative but to submit, the Alf's worked for the Tav's.

The Bet's were given the same ultimatim, but refused to submit, and they were slaughtered. And so it went until every last person was under the rule of the Tav's. There were no longer any distincitons between the tribes. They were all part of the Tav's, but even that had lost its meaning.

 

[AdamAnderson21]

bumpity, bump, bump, bumpity, bump

 

[charityagape]

bump

 

[Arkanin]

What people don't seem to understand about overpopulation (as AdamAnderson has pointed out) is that population will eventual reach a natural equilibrium, where resources exist such that the rate of death equals the rate of birth, and population growth ceases. Whether this will happen at ten, twenty, or thirty billion people, or whenever, is impossible to say, but it will innevitably happen.

Even in the worst cases where in a mere generation growth is such that there is extremely excessive need for food compared to food had and a sudden shortage results, causing an extreme population crash, humanity will not be destroyed. Populations are like springs: whenever there is not enough food, the spring bounces back, and when there is more food, the spring stretches; it's a natural equilibrium.

 

[Arkanin]

"An increase in food supply always results in an increase in a species' population. There are no exceptions."

I'm not sure how this was coined a law, but it certainly doesn't appear to be a law any more than the oversimplified "law of supply" or "law of demand" are laws, and in fact, while almost always correct, those are not actually laws.

 

[Nymphalidae]

What people don't seem to understand about overpopulation (as AdamAnderson has pointed out) is that population will eventual reach a natural equilibrium, where resources exist such that the rate of death equals the rate of birth, and population growth ceases. Whether this will happen at ten, twenty, or thirty billion people, or whenever, is impossible to say, but it will innevitably happen.

Even in the worst cases where in a mere generation growth is such that there is extremely excessive need for food compared to food had and a sudden shortage results, causing an extreme population crash, humanity will not be destroyed. Populations are like springs: whenever there is not enough food, the spring bounces back, and when there is more food, the spring stretches; it's a natural equilibrium.

Unfortunately, we don't know the carrying capacity of the planet. And if a population crash can be avoided, it should be.

 

[AdamAnderson21]

Arkanin: I'm not sure how this was coined a law, but it certainly doesn't appear to be a law any more than the oversimplified "law of supply" or "law of demand" are laws, and in fact, while almost always correct, those are not actually laws.

Let's call it a rule. A rule that's never been broken in the history of the universe, but could be broken if...

...if only people would act better than they ever have before.

(aka, not going to happen, so that's why I call it a law)

 

[AdamAnderson21]

Overpopulation is not why our species will become extinctint, although its of course a factor. Overpopulation will just increase crime, poverty, greed, and all of the other cultural ills we have. Drastically. Just look what happened in New Orleans after the Hurricane. Imagine the same thing on a global scale. That's what I'm talking about, but its not going to kill our species off. I don't think I've mentioned yet in this thread the reason our species will go extinct.

 

[Arkanin]

Let's call it a rule. A rule that's never been broken in the history of the universe, but could be broken if...

...if only people would act better than they ever have before.

At face value, we could probably come up with some situation on earth where it's been broken (though I might be mistaken). I'm assuming we're talking about healthy, good food, all other factors held constant.

Unfortunately, we don't know the carrying capacity of the planet. And if a population crash can be avoided, it should be.

You're absolutely right, and I would just be creating a misleading distraction if I acted as though overpopulation isn't a problem since it won't cause extinction. The two primary concern are a population crash, and if there isn't one, how bad living conditions will be at equilibrium, yes?

 

[AdamAnderson21]

Arkanin: At face value, we could probably come up with some situation on earth where it's been broken (though I might be mistaken). I'm assuming we're talking about healthy, good food, all other factors held constant.

I've never heard of an example where this rule or law has not held true. If you can think of one, I'd be happy to hear. And yes, those are the conditions we're speaking of.

Arkanin: The two primary concern are a population crash, and if there isn't one, how bad living conditions will be at equilibrium, yes?

Correct.

 

[Arkanin]

Well, you've got a good point about the living conditions. Ignoring the population crash possibility, the equilibrium point of population could be literally hell on earth for people to live in.

 

[AdamAnderson21]

It definitely would. The main problem is that noone would take it seriously, as this thread clearly reflects, until the population is already enormous and beyond controlling without catastrophic consequences.